


The Crown

by https_jiminjams



Category: https_jiminsjams
Genre: Crown, Fantasy, Gay, LGBT, LGBTQ, LGBTQ Character, M/M, Multi, MxM - Freeform, Original Character(s), Original Fiction, Prison, Royalty, bxb - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-13
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-21 11:41:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,749
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30021252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/https_jiminjams/pseuds/https_jiminjams
Summary: Aaron Flekes jumps from his slumber, a nightmare had crept into his mind, causing him to awaken. In his dream, he had gotten kidnapped, which was extremely unlikely, considering his world has magic. He recalls how he was arrested. For what you may ask? Aaron stole the most powerful magical item, the missing prince's crown. How will he regain the crown and achieve the love of his life?!! CONTAINS BOY X BOY !!





	1. 𝓞𝓷𝓮

I awoke with a jump from my sleep. A nightmare about getting kidnapped somehow made into my peaceful slumber. What an unlikely dream, my world has magic, no one was stupid enough to attempt to kidnap others. My kingdom, (named Magusaer) especially had some of the most powerful users of magic. 

I sit up in my bed and stretch, my arm hits something to the right of me. My room doesn't have anything to my right. I open my eyes and see someone in the bed with me.

Their hair is dark brown with light blonde accenting the end of the tips of their hair. It's not short but not necessarily long either, just long enough to have some hanging off the sides. Their face was a deep olive color with freckles sprinkled across their nose and cheeks, some freckles were scattered across their sharp jawline. They weren't wearing a shirt.

Wait, they aren't wearing a shirt. Is-is this a dude?

Now, before I continue I just want to point out, I'm one-hundred percent straight. I'm the straightest you could get. My sorcery school (that I dropped out of, but that's another story for another time.) made me so straight that I can't draw a curvy line. But I could tell by looking at him, this guy is very attractive. Like so attractive girls are throwing themselves at his feet.

I glance around the room I'm in. It's dark and the walls are rusty. The thing I bumped into is the chains I'm attached to.

Oh yeah, I got arrested.

Now, you may be wondering why am I in prison? I may have stolen the most important thing to my kingdom. I stole the prince's crown, which may not sound like it's very important to you. But this crown wasn't any normal crown that you could make another copy of it. It is the most powerful magic item in my country. Not to mention the prince has been missing for at least ten years now. 

Me, Aaron Flekes, stole the most wanted item and got caught. Don't get me wrong, I've stolen before, PLENTY of times. It came as easy to me as breathing. If I was shopping I could just sneakily shove it under my shirt. Back to the story, I know I know, I get distracted easily.

I look back to the boy, he's still fast asleep so I might as well wake him up. 

"HEY! Wake up!" I yell at him.

He jumps and opens his eyes. Oh wow, they're bright green. It looks like someone shoved two emeralds in his eye sockets.

He grumbles and glances towards me. I stare back. His eyes flick up and down me.

"What?" His voice is gravelly and as deep as the ocean. 

"W-who are you?" My voice cracks from the shock of his morning voice.

"Well, sunshine, I could ask you the same question." He snarkily replies.

Who does he think he is acting like to me?

"Okay, fine if you're going to act like that. I'm Aaron." 

"Cute name, I'm Ashlynn, but you can call me Ash."  
He says, flicking his wrist towards himself.

I snort at his name, "Ashlynn? Your name is Ashlynn? That doesn't fit you at all."

"Oh really, coming from a guy named Aaron, my pride isn't hurt." He points towards me scoffing.

"What are you even in here for? You look you couldn't hurt a fly." I say looking into his eyes.

"Oh, I murdered my mother. How about you?" He says never breaking eye contact. 

My face must have looked surprised because he smirked and said, "Don't worry I won't hurt you, sunshine. I killed her for a good reason."

"Uh okay, well anyways I'm here because I stole the prince's crown." My eyes flick towards his chest. It was toned enough so you could see every individual ab. He was tanned without a single line in sight. 

"Wait seriously.? That was you?" He said with shock.

I nodded my head and was about to open my mouth when I heard keys jingling in the hallway.

He turned toward the small table next to the bed and pulled his shirt on. 

"Hey! Everyone better be up and ready for the cell searches!" Some guard shouted in the hallway. I sat up further in bed and got up. The chain attached to the wall prevented me from getting anywhere near the cell door. So, I leaned against the wall my chain was attached to. Ash followed suit and stood on the opposite wall of me. The cell wasn't very big, it was probably ten by twelve feet. I look back at Ash, who was adjusting his shirt.

"Why don't you have a chain," I said gesturing to my chained arm.

"I did, I picked the lock." He said pulling a Bobby pin out of his hair.

"Aren't they going to catch you with it off?" I say in a hushed voice.

The voices in the hallway were getting louder and louder.

He pulled the chain from a dresser and attached it to his wrist and the wall.

I was about to open my mouth when he put a finger over his lips and nodded his head towards the door. 

Almost immediately after, a guard began to open our cell door. Along with two other guards, they began to search the cell, leaving no part unsearched. After they were sure we didn't hide anything, they gave us both a pat-down. First, they did me.

"Put your hands behind your head and spread your legs shoulder width." One guard told me. I did as instructed and looked up to Ash.

He was waiting to get searched and was looking at me. I looked at him with an exasperated face, he raised his eyebrows and bit his bottom lip. 

I felt my face heat up and I immediately averted his penetrating gaze. I heard him chuckle quietly as I was getting felt up by the guards.

"You passed, go sit on the bed and wait for us to finish your cell-mate." Said the one who unlocked the door. He sorted through a few keys and shifted over to me. The key he was holding was probably the one that unlocked my chains. He pushed into the padlock and it came undone with a pop.

I plopped on the bed, rubbing my sore wrist. I looked up to watch Ash get his pat-down. The guards started with his thighs and he stared suggestively at me. 

I mouth 'No' at him. Unfortunately, he didn't get the message and continued to assault me with his eyes. The guard searching Ash moved to his arms, so shockingly (note the sarcasm) he bit his lip and rolled his eyes.

I could feel my heart beating faster with everything he did towards me. 

Finally, after two minutes of torturous looks from Ash, the guard who patted us both down said, "You both have some free time while we check the other rooms. Don't be loud and we'll call you down for breakfast when we finish." The guard with the keys unlocked Ash's chains too.

I nodded my head and Ash started walking towards me. He said over his shoulder, "Thank you very much for your time." And with that, the guards locked the door and walked away. 

"What was that about?" I hiss at him, pissed at his actions.

"Oh, don't pretend you didn't enjoy it, sunshine." He says, snickering, "I could see your blush from across the room."

"Shut up," I snarl at him. He didn't look fazed at all, if anything he was enjoying it. 

"Now, how did someone like you steal the most wanted magical item." He says looking me up and down. 

I look at him funny, "It's a long story, do you have enough patience for it?"

He scoffs and pushes me down onto the bed, he hovers over me before leaning in and biting the tip of my ear. Both of my wrists are trapped in his grasp, I couldn't do anything except sit there until he got off me.

"Patience? Do you think I don't have enough patience?" He growls in my ear. Ash leans back and lingers above me.

I gaze up into his eyes and he slowly closes the space between us. I could feel his breath on my face and I shut my eyes. Until, I heard the guards yelling harshly, "Breakfast everyone! Get yourselves into the cafeteria or you will be punished!"

Ash rolls over to the right of me and says, "Well sunshine, as much as I'd like to continue. I'm absolutely starving."

Almost right on queue, his stomach growls and he laughs. I scoff at him and look over to where he's laying. He's staring right back at me. His hand reaches over to my face. I flinch at the contact as he caresses my cheek. His thumb strokes the underneath of my eye. I lean into his touch. 

A guard walks up to our cell and unlocks the door. "Hurry up and get into the cafeteria before everyone else eats it." He spits at us.

I jump forward so I'm sitting up on the bed. Ash sits up too and laughs. 

"What?" I say slightly frazzled.

"Nothing, it's just your face was so funny when he came next to the door." He said chuckling, getting up.

Ash held his hand out and I grabbed it gratefully. We walked towards the door and I pushed it open. 

I looked at our hands, he must have noticed me because he laced our fingers together.

"Stop that," I said, removing my hand from his grasp. He looked somewhat hurt but he didn't say anything about it.

As I walked into the cafeteria, the first thing I noticed was the sheer amount of people in there. My entire village could fit in here comfortably, maybe even double the amount.

"Is this your first time being in a room like big?" Someone said behind me. I turned and saw it was Ash. 

"No, I've been in bigger before." I lied.

He hummed in agreement and walked over to get in life for breakfast. I quickly followed him. 

"How long have you been here?" I ask while looking at some of the food that was being showcased. It didn't look very appetizing, but I would rather eat slop than go hungry. 

He turned to look at me, "Same as you, sunshine. I got here late last night." I cringed at the pet name, "When did you get here?"

"I'm not entirely sure, I just woke up and I was here. They probably caught me while I was sleeping," I paused to look at the food, "Why were we in the same bed when I woke up. There is another bed in there, you know right?" 

"Oh really? You think I would just climb into some stranger's bed. That was you, sunshine. They put you into your bed and you got up, laid right on top of me, and fell back asleep."

"Oh," I said, flustered.

Finally, it was my turn to get my food. I ordered whatever I saw first, which just happened to be suspicious-looking eggs. Ash ordered some strange soup. 

Every single table was filled with criminals ranging from murder to debt. So, we sat against a wall and ate on the floor.

"Are you going to finally tell me how you stole the crown?" Ash says with a mouth of mystery soup.

"Okay, fine I'll tell you." I take a bite of my eggs, "So, it started-"

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————  
𝟷𝟿𝟺𝟶


	2. 𝓣𝔀𝓸

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aaron explains why and how he stole the crown

The wind blew through my hair as I sprinted to anywhere. I had just gotten caught for stealing someone's necklace. 

"HEY! GET BACK HERE!" The husband of the woman I stole from, shouted at me. 

The woman went to her husband and grabbed his muscular arm, "Stop that! He's just a boy, he probably needs it more than us." 

The man shook her off and ran after me. He caught up fairly fast, considering how heavy he looked. He was a stout man with an impressive beard. The color of his hair matched his beard, almost identically. His clothes were sprinkled with flour and a few other spices. 

He had to be one of the many bakers in the kingdom. 

As he gained on me, I noticed that each road had a corresponding street, either to the left or right of it. I continued sprinting until I saw one alleyway ahead of me. I look over my shoulder at the baker, he's still fairly far away from me but he wasn't going to let me go that easily, I could tell by the look on his face. When he opened his mouth to shout something at me, I swerved into the passage. It was extremely dark, the only thing I could see was my hand if I held it close to my face.

I stick my hand in front of me and feel for something, anything, I could grab. I bump something to the right of me, I grasp it, hoping its a weapon or a hiding spot. I feel up and down it, it's a wall. The wall feels like it was made up of brick or cobblestone. 

I feel around for a hand or foothold, maybe I could climb this. Near my left foot is a decently sized hole. 

I can fit my foot in it.

I grab another hole in the wall and hoist myself up, once again feeling for another foothold. The next gap isn't very big, I can barely stick the front part of my toes into it, but I'll have to make it work. 

The baker jogs around the corner of the street, "Stop! Give the necklace back." he shouts at me. I glance at him for a second then at the necklace wrapped around my hand, he might need this. Eh, it's probably not very important anyway. I continue to climb up the wall, I can see a lot of areas to hold onto. Perfect.

I glide from each foothold to the next. I can see light pouring over from the top of the wall, I'm so close to fleeing him. In one fluid motion, I grasp the top of the wall with my hand and swing myself up to it. The view from the peak of Magusaer was nothing I could have prepared myself for, it was breathtaking.

The sky was a baby blue with fluffy white clouds drifting across it. Each building had a golden glow from the sun. The star was a gorgeous amber color sitting atop the world.

"Get back down here!" the baker shouted from below. I turn around and squat, so I'm looking down at him. My right arm is draped over my knee, the other is on my temple.

"Now, why should I do that?" I say, dangling the necklace between my pointer and middle finger. It glimmers in the light, so I direct the ray into his left eye. He blocks his eyes with his hand. I take that opportunity to run across the wall. I look around for a building to jump into, a large one has a walkway to the wall. I sprint to it, a guard is standing at the entrance. 

Why would a guard be at a normal building?

"Hey, kid! Where are you going?" the guard asks me. I slow my pace and walk over to him. 

"I have to speak with the owner of his house, " I lie through my teeth. He eyed me suspiciously and slid over, "Very well." 

I quickly step into the building and gaze around. Each wall was covered in paintings, encrusted with gold frames. The flooring was covered in a vermilion carpet, with dark wood planks under it. There were small tables with little plants and valuables on the side of the wall. For each table, there was another exact copy on the opposite wall. 

I look up to see a large mural painted on the ceiling, it looked religious but I couldn't tell, I always skipped church anyway. I strode through the hallway with confidence. If I was going to continue this lie, I at least needed to convince myself it. 

I glance into a room to my right, it looked expensive, and a promising hiding area. It was a bedroom with a canopy bed. The room was covered in red velvet and golden patterns on the walls and on the various fabrics. There was a fairly large dresser in the corner, I walk over to it and swing it open. It was filled with different colors of clothes and accessories. I sort through each outfit, looking for something I could wear.

A maroon-colored outfit catches my eye, I collect it from the shelf and pull off the hanger. I tug my old raggedy shirt off and slide the new one on. It's comfortable and I can easily move my arms around. Next, I put the pants on, they were somewhat stiff but I could still move quickly, just not at top speed. To finish the look off, I slide the necklace into my head. I glimpse at the mirror in the corner, not bad.

Taking one last look at myself, I walk over to the door and poke my head out, looking for anyone in the hallway that could rat me out. 

No one, perfect. 

I casually walk into the hallway once again. The hallway has to end at some point, so I continue forward. The design pattern of it never changes, red and gold were still everywhere. 

The hallway finally comes to a corner, I can hear people talking on the other side. I slowly look around it. 

Three people are chatting amongst themselves. One is a woman clothed in a deep violet gown with dark coils curled across the dress. A black corset sits atop the gown. The man who is talking to her is clad in a royal blue suit, his outfit isn't as fancy as the woman's but it still looks expensive. The final person was a boy, he didn't look like he was past eleven. His tuxedo looked like a combination of the woman and man, royal blue spirals with a violet base color. The boy was probably their child. 

I might as well just risk it and walk past them. I smooth my shirt and step into their sight. Each one looks up at me in sync. I didn't spare so much as a glance as I strolled down the hallway past the group. Once again I need to make it believable I belong here. 

They let me saunter past with nothing more than stares. 

I continue to wander down the hallway the group was in, I could feel their glares on the back of my head. A victorious smirk began to spread on my face. 

Too easy.

The next corner was in sight, I was almost out. Only a few more steps, then I would be turning. I began to swerve; suddenly, a tall figure rams into me. I take a step back to recollect my bearings. His chest hit my nose pretty hard, so I held it. 

A warm liquid began to run out of my nose onto my hand.

"Oh sorry, are you okay, son?" the stranger asked, his voice was much higher than I expected it to be. I nod my head, only for more blood to start pouring out of my nose.

The man pulled a handkerchief from his breast pocket and handed it to me. I clamped my nose shut and leaned forward slightly, I knew exactly what to do, I have plenty of nose-bleeds in my life. 

I could see him staring at me from the corner of my eye. His face was plastered with fear for me.

"I'm fine, sir, " I assured him, gesturing to my nose, "I just have a weak nose, I get these often." 

He let out a sigh of relief and looked me up and down, "You look somewhat familiar, have we met before?" 

I shook my head, "I don't think so."

He didn't look convinced, "So, what brings you here?"

I froze, what was I supposed to say? Getting past the guard was one thing, but lying to someone who probably comes here frequently was a whole different subject.

"Um, I have some business with the owner of this home." I blurt out.

"Oh, well that's convenient, I'm the owner of this house," he says.  
—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————  
𝟷𝟺𝟿𝟻


	3. 𝓣𝓱𝓻𝓮𝓮

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aaron continues to explain his experience stealing the crown.

I freeze and make a strange noise.

I'm taken back by what he said, "Oh, well that's helpful."

He hummed in agreement, taking a step forward, and gestured for me to follow. I needed to think of something fast for our fake meeting or my alibi was going to crumble.

"So what did you need, son?" He questions me.

I adjust the handkerchief, lifting it off my nose to see if it is still bleeding. It in fact is. Folding it so the part with blood is hidden, I continue to apply pressure onto my nose.

I glance up at him, "I was wondering if you could show me your most prized possession. I want to compare mine to yours." I blurt without thinking. Mentally facepalming, I cringe at my words.

The man looked at me up and down for a bit, deciding whether or not to show it to me.

"Okay, but you can't tell anyone I have this," he says, beginning to walk in the opposite direction of where he was going in the first place.

"I wasn't planning on telling anyone I was here anyway, so deal," I say, catching up to him.

He hums, continuing forward. The hallway was the same as any other, gold, and velvet everywhere. Occasionally, we would pass a closed door or a small table pushed against the wall. Nothing I haven't seen in here before. 

A corner steadily gets closer, at the end is a fairly large shelf-bookcase with many books and a small plant in the center. 

He saunters over to it and slides his hand across the books, before stopping at one. It was called 'Crown'. The owner whips his head around, scanning the hallway for anyone who might see what he was doing.

In one smooth motion, he tugs the book out. The entire shelf shifts into the wall then disappears behind the panel. 

He looks behind us one last time and gestures for me to go into it. 

I hesitated before entering, the tunnel was dark, I could only see about five feet in front of me. 

Once I was inside, he followed and pulled a lever I didn't notice when I walked inside.

The shelf slid back into place, leaving me standing in the dark. 

I heard clothes being adjusted around near where the man was most likely standing. It stopped, the only thing I heard was the sound of wood softly clinking together. A scratch and a small flicker of light, another one, finally he managed to light the match. 

He kicked a part of the wall, with the force, a small box slid into view. The man bent over and tugged it open. Filled with torches of many different sizes, the box was everything I could have wanted right now.

"What's your name, son?" he inquired while choosing a torch for me and himself.

I flinch from his sudden words, "My name is Aaron, Aaron Flekes, " I pause before continuing, "What's yours?"

Pulling two torches out of the box and holding out for me he says, "Alaric Reyson." I remove the handkerchief from my nose and put it in my back pocket. My nose has to be finished bleeding by now. I grab the torch from his hand and twirl it between my fingers.

"That's a powerful name, Alaric means everyone's ruler, and Reyson means kingly," I say, somewhat surprised.

He nods and lights his torch before touching the growing flame to mine. It immediately bursts into light, the tunnel is much longer than I thought. 

His name is quite familiar to me, it would to eventually come to me. 

Alaric strolls past and begins leading me once again. The walls of the tunnel were made of carved-out stone. Sometimes a dent or two were sprinkled across the sides, this probably was a mining area of some sort.

I reach over and touch the dents, I could feel the energy coursing through every crack. Was this a gem mine? 

"Uh, what is this place?" I questioned him, retracting my hand from the wall.

He turns to face me, putting his hands out, "This tunnel used to be my family's prized gem mine. As you could probably tell from the cracks, dents, and any other man-made crevices, this place was quite popular. Once the news got out we had a private gem mine, everyone began to crowd into this land and take all the gems. Though there aren't any gems left, you can still feel the magic flowing through the walls."

I open my mouth but nothing comes out. This entire mine was his family's private mine? 

Alaric turns around once again, the torch's light shines ahead, revealing an oak door with a metal handle, it had a series of locks preventing anyone from getting in. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a loop of keys. The entire ring was almost filled with tons of different keys. After shuffling the keys around for a bit, he took one key and unlocked every padlock.

"Same key for every keyhole?" I asked, confused.

He chuckled and said, "You wouldn't expect someone to use the same key for everything right? You proved my point by thinking I would use a different padlock for each one." 

"Smart, " I acknowledged.

Turning the doorknob, Alaric pushed the door open. He gestured for me to go in first, slowly treading into the room, my breath left my lungs. I extinguished my torch and set it on the ground.

The room had white walls, with lilac beams of light emitting from the center of the room. I couldn't see what it was, it was absorbed by the light. 

"This, " he paused for a bit, "this is the crown room." 

I walked further into the 'crown room', attempting to see what was radiating the light. As I got closer the light got brighter, to solve this issue I used my hand to shield my eyes. On a golden pedestal was sitting a crown filled with gems and every valuable jewel you could think of.

My breath caught itself in my throat, "Is this what I think it is?"

"Yes, it's the prince's crown." 

I gape at him, how in the world did he get the missing prince's crown?

"How? How did you get this?" I ask pointing to it.

"Well, " he says, scratching the back of his neck, " I may technically own it since it belonged to my son."

"Huh?" I say, even more, shocked than I already was, "You're the king? What?!"

He smiled at me, "Did you not come here to meet with me, the king?" 

"Y-yeah! I just didn't realize it was you." I lie through my teeth. He ponders my statement for a bit. 

"I don't show my face in public, so that makes sense," he says, rubbing his chin.

I focus my attention back on the crown. If you knew exactly where the door was, what key to use and its keyholes, you could get in extremely easily. It would be so simple to get away with it. 

"So, what were you planning on showing me?" he questioned.

My hand flew to my neck, which was holding the necklace I stole. Carefully sliding it off my head, I dangle it between my pointer and middle fingers.

"It's not as impressive as the crown, but this has been passed down for generations," I tell him. "May I?" he asks, putting his right hand out. I hum in agreement, gently placing it in his palm. 

He adjusted the necklace and examined the ruby jewels in each chain section. The golden chain was slightly dirty from the wear of the chase.

"This is pretty well kept, how old would you say it is?" King Alaric asked, making direct eye contact with me.

I look to the left, "My great-great-grandmother's grandfather was the one who made it." I put my hand out, he gets the message and hands it back to my hand. Sliding it back on my head, I mentally released a sigh, glad he wasn't catching on about anything. 

"Do you know what time it is? " I ask him, looking at the watch on his wrist. Bringing his arm so he sees the numbers, "It's 6:32, do you need to be somewhere?"

I nod my head, "My sister is waiting for me to back home." 

After my parents' deaths, it was just me and my little sister, Samantha, or as I call her, Sam. She was only three when it happened, throwing me into a kind of parent figure-child relationship with her. After eleven years of raising her on my own, we had gotten very close.

King Alaric steps towards the door once again. I follow behind him, I grab my torch off the wall as I walk past the door frame. He waits for me outside of the door, once I'm near behind him, he uses the keys and locks the padlocks once again. Once every lock was fastened, he slid the keys into his back pocket. I glance at the pocket. He passes me and heads toward the entrance, or now, the exit.

The lever was in arms reach, King Alaric reached ahead and pulled it, triggering the system once again.

He leads me through his castle, bringing me to the entrance I had once run through, attempting to escape the man. I turn so the kingdom was to my back, "I appreciate what you've done for me today." 

"It was no problem" he chuckles, his cheeks curving into a hearty smile. The wrinkles spread across his face deepened, making him look much older than he was.

I turn, beginning to tread my way back to Sam. We live in a small abandoned home, it once was a magnificent house, but only the remnants of it survived. 

I see a small dumpster behind a small restaurant. A bright red scarf hung off of the side. I smile and grab it, pulling it around my neck. It fit my outfit perfectly.

The sun was setting, causing me to sprint the rest of the way. I always promised I would be back before the sunset.

The surrounding world was covered in shadows looming over every shop and building. I ran until the familiar terrain of my neighborhood enveloped my vision. 

I glance around, my sister could be waiting outside for me. When her slender figure creeps into view, I sprint at her.

"Aar! (Air)" she says running at me. I pull her into a hug and rub her back. Some of her long brown hair was sitting atop my shoulders. "Why'd you take so long to get back? " A pout appears on her lips, "What are you wearing?"

"I was lost, on my way back there was a dumpster with this in it," I lie, shrugging. She stares at me for a second, looking like she wanted to say something.

"Whatever, " she scoffs, shaking her head, beginning to walk into our home. I follow and shut the door behind myself.

She heads upstairs, dragging her hand on the railing. With each step she took, the stairs creaked. I step into my room, which was on the first floor. Our home had two floors, the first floor having the living room, kitchen, a bedroom, and a small closet. The second floor had a bedroom and a study, my sister decided she got the second-floor room the moment she noticed this home. 

I tug at the necklace and pull it over my hand. Glancing around for something to hide it, my eyes land on a new crack in the wall. I walk towards it to inspect it, my hand touches the crack and it opens more. I take a step back, "Sammy? Can you come down here for a bit?" 

"What?" she asks, probably reading in the study. I groan, "Come here!" I say, slightly louder than the previous. 

I hear footsteps gradually getting closer. I touch the crack again, more drywall splits, "What happened?" I turn to see Sam with a book in hand. "I thought you would have known since you've been here all day." 

She walks to the wall and sets her hand on it. "Why is it warm?" Confused, I put my hand on the crack again. The wall was warm and it was increasingly getting hotter. The energy of the wall was rapidly growing. 

"Sam, we have to get out here," I say, trying to stay calm. Since Sam was only fourteen, her energy detecting wasn't as strong as mine, a nineteen-year-old. 

I grab at her wrist and rush out of our house. Sam looked up at me confused, furrowing her eyebrows, "What's happening?" the distress on her face was evident. 

"I think the house is going to explode, " I tell her, making sure we were far enough away before turning around to face the home. 

Suddenly, it erupts into flames. In mere seconds the house is enveloped in ash, one gust of wind blows past, bringing the entire building down. 

Sam gasped in shock at the empty lot ahead of her. I grab her and pull her into my chest, shielding her eyes from the clearing. Wails escaped her lips, progressively getting louder. She couldn't feel it but my hands shook as I gently rubbed her head.

I look to the nearly gone sunset, behind me the moon was climbing higher and higher into the sky. A shaky sigh comes out of my mouth. Sam whimpers, turning her head towards where the house once was. 

Her weak voice breaks the silence, "What just happened?"

"I," my voice cracks, "I don't know." 

Another gust of wind bumps into our backs, slightly pushing us forward. I let go of Sam, I shiver from the lack of warm clothing. An idea popped into my head, King Alaric. 

"Sammy, follow me," I said, beginning to tread towards the castle. Behind me, the patter of her shoes sped up until she caught up with me. She wasn't much shorter than me but it was obvious she was having trouble keeping up with me. I slow down my pace for her, I glance at her. Two deep brown eyes stared back, Sam's face didn't show a single sign of thankfulness, but the look in her eyes said it all.

The lights of the castle appeared on the horizon. 

"Where are we going?" Sam inquired. Bringing my hand up, I point to the castle. 

"The castle." I simply say. She looks at me in shock. I chuckle at her reaction.

The sun was completely set, the moon shone brightly above Magusaer. The wall I shuffled up earlier was to the right of us. I climb the wall, once I get to the top, Sam follows, taking much longer than I did. 

The same guard from the morning is at the entrance. He nods and lets Sam and me inside. "Why did he just let you in?" she asks, gesturing to the guard.

"I have been here before." I shrug. If she wasn't already stunned, must have been now. A doorway to an extremely long hallway was to my left. "Sammy, I want to go find someone, anyone, and tell them you're looking for Alaric. If it's him tell him, Aaron sent you." She looks into the hallway and nods. I watch as Sam walks away. I snap out of it and continue the actual reason I was here. 

The Crown

I pat my back pocket and feel the keys, ensuring they were still there. I stole them when he went past me in the tunnel. A smirk grew on my face as the bookshelf closer. 

My eyes scan the shelf for 'Crown'. Sitting directly on the last shelf was the book. I bit my tongue to prevent a laugh from exiting. This was too easy. 

I peek behind me to see if anyone was in the halls, no one. I slid the book from its spot and the shelf shifts in place. I strut into the tunnel, pulling the lever as I pass it. I heard the contraption whirring behind but I didn't care. I wasn't wasting any time. Kicking the torches out as he did before and grabbing the matches was the easy part. Getting the crown out was the difficult part. The matches were already open, plenty spread across the bottom of the box, so I grabbed and lit one. After lighting my torch I hurried to the crown room. 

I pulled the keys from my pocket and inserted the first into the keyhole. It didn't work. I repeated this process until it snapped open. Inserting the key that worked into the same one, I unlocked each padlock with a satisfying snap. I swung the door open and entered the crown room. It was just as impressive as it was earlier, but I couldn't let it distract me.

The crown was in the center, glowing as brightly as a star. I snatched it from the podium and tucked it under my scarf. It was a little lumpy but it wasn't out of place.

I turned around and began to make my way back to the hall. I didn't bother to lock the door again, it's not I would be back anytime soon. 

The lever was a few feet in front of me, so I tugged it open. Extinguishing and tossing the torch aside, I stepped into the hallway again. 

Sam would be fine without me, she would stay with King Alaric. Instead of a walk, I sprinted to the exit. The guard didn't share me a glance as I scampered past. 

Suddenly, I heard a shout coming from inside the castle. The guard immediately turned around and jogged inside. I took that opportunity to climb down the wall again, without them watching.

Sprinting through neighborhoods on your own accord and having a stolen possession were two very different things. Very few people were outside, the ones that were didn't care enough to look at me. I could see the next kingdom over. 

Eagusaer, or Magusaer's sister kingdom, was much smaller but the people were much more accepting compared to my kingdom. Magusaer had strict irrigation system rules, while Eagusaer allowed anyone inside without a second thought. 

I only needed to run for a minute or so before I crossed the border. My legs burned, but the adrenaline coursing through my veins kept me going.

Behind me, I heard footsteps and the sound of metal clinking together. I whipped my head around to see at least twenty men from the kingdom's army sprinting towards me. 

There's no way I can escape from them. I think hopelessly. I slow myself down, stopping in defeat. 

"PUT YOUR HANDS ABOVE YOUR HEAD!" A guard in the front shouts at me. I felt a smirk grow on my face. Slowing putting my hands in the air, I rest them on the top of my head. 

"TURN AROUND!" Another voice yells at me. A small giggle leaves my mouth as I rotate my legs in a circular fashion. I look up at the crowd before me. In front was King Alaric, glaring at me. Alongside him are archers with their arrows aimed at me.

I smile back at him, "What?"

"You know exactly what you did, " he spits at me. 

I laugh, "I do? What?" 

He sighs, exasperated. "You know the necklace I showed you earlier, " I pause for effect, "I stole it."

"I'm not surprised, it fits your personality. Absolute scum." He angrily, tells me. "Don't inflate my ego if I'm going to have to stroke yours." (I'm cringing rn)

"That's enough, someone make him quiet, " he hisses at the guards surrounding him. 

Three began to step towards me timidly, "Don't be shy, " I taunted. One stiffened up, the other two quickened paces without hesitation. 

I stare at the crowd again scanned it for no one in particular, when my eyes locked with someone. 

Sam.

My cocky smile faltered for a second before I put my guard up again.

Suddenly a loud crack erupted behind me. My vision went black and I crumpled to the floor before I lost consciousness. 

*+^.•.^+*

Ash stared at me in shock. "You're insane," he breathed out, "Did you make him think you were innocent?" 

"Yeah, pretty much," I laugh. I take a final bite of my eggs and set them aside. Ash continues eating happily. 

"So, you just took it because you felt like it?" he questions me with a lopsided grin. I look at him in surprise, my mouth agape. Ash looked at me and shoved some of his soup into my mouth. 

"What the hell?" I gasped, the soup didn't taste bad, but it wasn't necessarily good either. He chuckled and took another bite. "To answer your question, no I didn't take it because I felt like it. I have my reasons." I shook my head and smiled. 

"Acting mysterious now are we?" Ash joked, one of his eyebrows quirking up. "Look who's talking," I scoff at him. 

"Do you really want to know more about me?" I turn my head to face him, "Well I mean yeah, since we're going to be cell-mates for a while."

He takes one last sip of his soup before stacking it on top of my plate. "Where should I start?" He asks, running his hand through his hair. His hand ran through the soft curls on the tips of his otherwise straight hair. I was memorized by the way he moved. 

A snap brings me back to reality, "Hello? Aaron?" Ash asks, waving his hand in front of my face, until he notices I'm focused again, "Welcome back"

"What?" I ask, looking at his hand, returning to his lap.

"If you want to stare at least make it less obvious." Ash joked, adjusting his position to bring his knees to his chest.

Ignoring his previous statement I say, "You should tell me why you murdered your mother. It's only fair since I told you about mine." 

Ash looked uncertain but began to speak anyway, "My mother was always a horrible person, yelling and sometimes hitting my little brother and me." he took a breath and continued, "she was always drunk when my brother and I were home. I was out one day and my brother was at home with her. My friends and I were going around various spots to hang and stuff. You know, normal teenager things." He stopped and looked at me, insuring I was still listening, I nodded for him to resume.

(TW: BLOOD AND DEATH)

"When I came home at maybe, three or four in the afternoon, I noticed blood on the floor in the entrance to my house. Concerned, I walked faster into the living room to see my mother hunched over something. My brother was nowhere in sight until I noticed when my mother was leaning over. It was his lifeless body." Ash's breath hitched in his throat.

"You don't have to continue, I can tell it was hard for you," I say. He scooted closer to me saying, "No, it's only fair." I could feel the nervous and upset energy radiating off him.

"I pulled my mother off him and checked for his pulse, none. I grabbed my mother's collar and screamed at her. Near my foot was an empty bottle of champagne, I stomped on it and snatched it off the floor. I hit my mother square in the head. It knocked her unconscious, but I didn't stop until my hands were covered in her blood. The anger and fear took over me and I couldn't control myself. And that brings us to now, a couple of months afterword. I ran away for a while until someone found and arrested me," he finishes, a single tear falling down his cheek. I reached over and stroked the tear away.

(TW END)

"She's gone now and that's all that matters," I say,  
comfortingly. He nods, "What is your brother's name?"

Ash takes my hand from his face and links it with mine. Our hands fit together perfectly, as of they were made for each other.

"His name is Roan, he was probably the same height as you." Ash laughed at my face, "I'm average height thank you very much." 

"Average for a thirteen-year-old" He muttered playfully under his breathe. I smack his shoulder, "Shut up."  
—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————  
𝟺𝟶𝟻𝟾

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was much longer than I thought it was going to be, so I apologize for taking so long to publish it. I hope you all are well and thanks for you the 38 reads! 
> 
> Stay healthy and hydrated!


	4. 𝓕𝓸𝓾𝓻

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aaron and Ash get closer, someone arrives

I rise from the floor, bringing Ash with me. Before standing, he leans over to grab the plates. A trash can filled with old food and wrappers. 

On top of the can is a section for cups, another for plates. Ash briskly walked to the trash and set the plates on it.

I leaned against the wall behind me, watching him talk to another prison mate trying to throw her trash away. 

It was quite impressive how he could walk up to anyone and strike up a conversation. The girl he was conversing with was much shorter than his tall build. Her finger twiddled in her long black hair. Ash began talking again and she bit her lip and looked him up and down.

Something inside me snapped, so I started to walk towards them. Ash turns his head as I got closer and smiles. 

"Hi, " he beams. "Hi, who's this?" I say with a smile until the last part. I set my elbow on his left shoulder while crossing my legs so my toe was pointed. 

"Aaron, this is Alice, " he told me, sliding his hand around my waist, "Alice, this is Aaron."

His hand pulled me into his hip. To adjust to the movement, I slide my hand off his shoulder and set it on top of his.

"Hi, it's nice to meet you," she holds her right hand out. My eyes momentarily flick at Alice's outstretched hand. I plaster a fake smile, "Likewise."

I can feel Ash's glaze on the top of my head. I'm barely underneath his chin. Damn giant. 

Another girl runs up to Alice and pulls her aside to talk to her. Suddenly I can feel Ash's breath on the back of my neck, "Are you jealous?" his voice comes from behind my head. I feel a shiver run down my back as another breath landed on my skin.

"No, what are you talking about, " I deadpan. He scoffs, not buying it. 

(TW: MURDER AND GOUGING EYES OUT)

"By the way, sunshine, " the voice lingers behind me, "I wouldn't recommend being rude to her. She gouged her second-grade teacher's and three of her classmates' eyes out, then stomped on their heads until the skulls caved in." 

(TW: END)

My mouth hangs open in shock from what he said. "I will accept your recommendation." He laughs and sets his head on top of mine. I could feel the way his jaw vibrated with each chuckle.

His posture returned to normal, but the hand around my waist remained stationary. I bit my tongue to prevent myself from whining from the loss of warmth.

Alice's friend runs off towards another table so she makes her way back to us. Ash and her begin talking again, I zoned out for most of their conversation. The wall in front of me had a decent-sized window, everything happening outside of it pulled me in. I don't know if it was the way the leaves blew in the wind or the soft baby blue sky with the fluffy clouds drifting freely. 

My peaceful thoughts were interrupted by my name being called.

"Aaron? Aaron? Hello?" A hand waves in front of my face. I blink twice before seeing who was speaking to me. Ash and Alice were staring at me. 

"Are you okay?" Alice's worried voice crept into my mind.

"Yeah, I just zoned out sorry," I say rubbing my temples with the tips of my fingers. Ash's hand sets itself on my forehead, "Are you sure? You feel hot." Ash starts to retract his hand.

"Noo stop, your hand feels nice, " I whine, grabbing his hand before it leaves my forehead. He sighs but keeps his hand where it is. He moves me so I'm leaning on his chest, like a back hug.

"Breakfast is over! Get into your cells or go into the courtyard!" A guard shouted from the entrance of the cafeteria. Prisoners began to shuffle around us, moving to the courtyard or their cells.

"I'll see you later!" Alice shouts before running off to her friend. Ash turns me around and looks into my eyes. 

"What do you want to do?" Ash queries, adjusting my hair with his free hand. A splintering headache hits me, causing me to wince. 

"Are you okay?" His concerned voice seeps into my head. Ash takes his hand off my forehead and looks at me with nothing but worry. I nod slightly but the action makes me dizzy, to prevent myself from falling, I grab onto his right bicep. 

Firm.

Ash slides his arm around mine and links them. He takes a gentle first step and I follow. Ash takes another I repeat the previous actions until we were back in our cell.

Ash lead me to my bed. I plop down on it and lay my arm over my eyes. I didn't want to see the splotches dancing around in my vision.

This was probably a migraine. I've only had one or two but I could usually tell when they were coming on. This one came with no warning.

"How does your head feel?" Ash's voice comes from the hallway. I groan and roll onto my side, facing towards the wall. I can hear something crinkle as his footsteps become louder and closer to me. Next to me, the bed sags in from the extra weight sitting on it. 

"I got some ice if you would like some." I open my eyes to see him sitting with a bag filled with ice. He handed me the ice and I set it on my forehead. 

It was surprising how cold it was, but I eventually got used to the temperature. The ice was helping with the headache but there was still piercing pain. I felt to the right of me something laying down. Without opening my eyes I say, "Why are you in my bed." 

"You're in it and I wasn't, " he simply replies. I scoff and turn towards him. His emerald eyes meet mine. I immediately look away and roll onto my stomach. 

"Why did you move?" Ash whines, reaching for me. His hand snakes around my waist, pulling me into a spooning position. I feel him place his head on my shoulder. "Stop, my head, " I lie with a whimpery tone. His grip on me loosens but not enough for me to move. A small, disgruntled sigh lands on the side of my ear. I open my right eye and attempt to look at him without moving. 

Through my peripheral vision, I couldn't see him, but if I turn slightly, I could. I tug my arm from his grasp and twist towards him. Ash adjusted and slung his arm across me. I rested my head on his chest and shut my eyes. 

The migraine must have been messed with my head, I would have never done this if I was completely fine. 

*+^.•.^+*

I wake to an empty bed, the warmness which was once there was gone. Sitting up slowly and rubbing my eyes, I glance around to see where he might have gone. In the corner of my eye, I see a figure sitting at the desk.

Ash.

"Good morning, sunshine, or maybe afternoon." He chuckled, not turning from the desk. "What are you doing?" I say, rising from the bed, stepping towards to look at what was in front of him. He turned, pushing the paper out of view, "Nothing."

I stared at him suspiciously but didn't push.

Turning on my heel, I began to head back to bed until Ash spoke up, "You have a visitor, a guard stopped by earlier but you were asleep."

I walk back towards him, "When was this?" I place one hand on the desk, the other on my hip. Ash shuffled in his seat to face me, "Ten minutes ago?" 

"Shit," I curse under my breath, "Do you know if they're still here?" He shrugged and turned back to face the mystery paper, "There's only one way to find out."

I nodded and wandered into the corridor, I decided to go right. The cafeteria was to the left so going right seemed like a reasonable idea. After walking for a bit the hallway split into a four-way intersection. I peered down each section and continued forward. The other three went in the opposite direction of where I thought I was going. 

A guard emerged from a corner, "Where do you think you're going?"

"Someone said I had a visitor and I was wondering where that would be?" I explained, gesturing nowhere in particular. He looked at me and asked, "Are you Aaron Flekes by any chance?"

I nodded, "That would be me." He smiled, "I was the one who was supposed to bring you earlier, I'm glad I found you again, " he chuckles, "I would have been punished if you didn't get there, come with me." The guard turned, beginning to walk in the direction I was originally going. 

I remained a few steps behind him, zoned out on the cracked floor. Suddenly, he turned left, heading to a much larger room adorned with various paintings. It looked like a reception room, or maybe the entrance.

The guard turned to face me, "I'm going to put these chains on you, okay?" He pulled handcuffs out of his pocket. I held my wrists out, he walked to me and snapped them on. This feeling was never going to be one I enjoyed. 

Once again, he continued forward until he held his hand out for me to stop. The guard strolled to the front desk with a feminine receptionist sitting behind it, writing with a pen and quill. 

"I have Aaron Flekes here for his visiter, " he said, clearing his throat. They glanced up from their writing and pointed to a door behind them. "Thank you, " he coughed out.

"Come on, " he firmly stated. I stepped toward the door. Once I was close enough, he continued too. The door opened to reveal a small room with two chairs and a table in the middle of them. On the other side of the area was a corresponding door. The guard gestured one of the chairs, which presumably was for me. 

I plopped into it, crossed my legs, and set my hands atop my thighs.

The guard leaned against the back wall, looking off, possibly waiting for the door to open. Almost on queue, it swung open. I turn to see who came in.

My breath hitched in my throat as I saw who walked inside.

Sammy.

"What are you doing here?" 

"You know, when you brought me to the castle, the first thing I did when you left was alert a guard about you." She says, taking a seat while fiddling with her fingers. I stare at her, "What?"

"I knew you were up to something the moment you brought me to the castle, " Sam paused to look at me, "I was vulnerable and you brought me there thinking you could get away with stealing." 

I was speechless, she misread me completely. 

"You're wrong, I was doing it to protect you, I knew he would keep you safe. You didn't need to be with me, I'm nothing but a bad influence on you. I steal so we can eat and sleep in a safe place. He would have fed you and sheltered you without a second thought." I clench my fists in pure anger. 

"He is," she hisses, crossing her arms against her chest. I shuffle in my seat, "Why are you here?" My voice comes out harsher than I wanted to. 

Her mouth folds into a thin line, "Is it wrong for me to want to visit you?" I shake my head but stay silent. I bring my hands to my face and rub circles on my eyes. 

"Does he know you're here?" I ask, not looking up from my hands. "No, I left before he woke up," Sam murmurs. 

"If he asks, don't say you visited me, okay?" I peek at her through my fingers, she is nodding.

"Times up" Sam looks up to the person who spoke up. She looks at me one last time before standing. I watch as she walks out the door, gone for who knows how long.

I rise from my chair and return to the man who brought me to this room. Before going to my cell, he unlocked the hand-cuffs and slid them back into his pocket.

"Thanks for bringing me to my sister," I thank him. "You're welcome, " he smiles, before walking off to do his duties. I walk into the cell and lay on the nearest bed, face first.

"Who was it?" Ash asks from beside me. I roll over to look at him, "My sister." His face was unreadable, "How did it go?" I shove my face into one of the pillows, "We fought, considering how I abandoned her with some stranger, I think I deserve to be away from her for some time." 

His hand made its way to my cheek, caressing my face, "I'm sorry, I'm sure it will be better eventually." 

I nod and slightly smile. Ash shuffled closer to me and rested his head on the small of my back. His breaths eventually evened out, falling into a peaceful sleep.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————  
𝟸𝟸𝟺𝟶

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone, I hope your being well! I wanted to say thanks for 69 reads, (nice)
> 
> P.S. If you haven't today, go drink some water and eat a little bit, it would make me so proud. Have a nice day/night!


	5. 𝓕𝓲𝓿𝓮

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prison life continues with Aaron and his friends.

My eyes fluttered open from the sound banging from outside our cell. Ash lifted his head from my back and groaned, "What was that?" I shrugged, rolling onto my back. Ash laid his head on my stomach once I was situated. 

"Dinner! Everyone be in the cafeteria or punishments will be distributed to troublemakers!" A voice came from the hallway, alongside a stick of some sort hitting each bar. How long were we asleep?

"I don't want to get up, " Ash's upset voice whined from my lap. "Come on, " I said sitting up, "You don't want to get punished, do you?" He smirked while pushing himself up to look at me. 

"Only by you."

"What did you just say?" I gasped, caught off-guard by his statement. He chuckled, "Like you said, let's go." 

Ash got up first and held his hand out for me to grab. I placed my hand in his, he hoists me up to my feet. I walk towards the door and pull it open, allowing for Ash to go first. "Oh, such a gentleman, " he teased, bringing the back his hand to his forehead as if he was a princess in need of saving. 

"Shut up, " I say, exasperated by his behavior. 

*+^.•.^+*

Dinner was nothing special, though we did get an actual table. I ordered bread with rice, it was surprisingly good. Ash on the other hand, almost threw up when he took a bite of his food, which was some meat. We shared mine, later finding out the meat was expired. 

"Are you sure you-you're okay?" I struggled to get my words out in between my laughter, "Your face was hilarious when you heard that." I wipe a tear from my eye. Sitting across from me, Ash, was freaking out, "I ate expired meat?" 

Alice was laughing as hard as I was. Her friend, whose name is Calla, was attempting to keep herself composed. "Stop laughing, it's rude." She hit Alice's shoulder, but eventually, she cracked a smile after seeing how funny the whole situation was. 

They had got their food and a table much faster than Ash and me, they were also kind enough to save two seats for us. 

Ash set his head on the table and groaned, "Why did I get the only item that was expired." I patted his head, "Only you could have that kind of luck." He gasped, "You did not." 

"I did."

I smiled at his expression. It was a mix of happiness, shock, and another I couldn't read. He grabbed the last of my bread and shoved it into his mouth. "Hey! That was mine!" I exclaimed, hitting his wrist. 

Alice and Calla looked at each other, "It was fun eating and talking with you two, but we are going to go back to our cell and rest." Calla said, pulling her legs out from under the table and standing. I shifted my gaze from Ash to the two of them getting ready to leave. 

"Have a good rest of your day," Ash speaks up, waving with his right hand. "Bye, " I add.

"You too!" With that, the pair walked towards the cell wing. I watch as they walk off together, almost connected at the hip. Ash's hand waves in front of my face, bringing me back to reality. 

"Why do you zone out so much?" He drops his hand back to his side. I stare at him, "How am I supposed to know?" 

"I just thought your parents would have brought you to a doctor or something, " Ash huffs.

"My parents are dead, " I deadpan. (No pun intended)

Ash opens his mouth but no sound comes out. "I'm sorry, " His voice is meek. 

"Don't be. It wasn't your fault, " I say, looking across the room. Ash leans back into his seat, staying silent. A guard walked to the two of us, I looked at him, "If you two are finished, go back to your cell." 

Ash looked at me and stood up, beginning the grab the dishes. I stopped him by clasping my hand around his wrist, "Let me do it," I say, putting a fake smile on my face, "It's only fair." He nodded and set the dish down. 

Instead of putting the dishes on the trashcan, I had to bring them to the kitchen. The reason? They had no room left for the remaining plates. The kitchen was much smaller than I expected. Stoves filled the back wall, each of them was tightly packed to their neighboring stove. Above the stoves was a long, neatly organized shelf, filled with every seasoning and condiment you could think of. There was a door near the buffet section, possibly the refrigeration area. 

"Hey idiot, are you going to put your dishes in the sink or keep gawking, " a voice said, hidden behind a stack of boxes. A sigh of discomfort left their mouth before standing. As their face came into view, a silent gasp left my mouth.

His hair is what caught me off-guard first, it was nearly snow-white with strawberry blond roots. Then I noticed his eyes. They looked like icy blue crystals reflected into his iris. He was also tall, as tall as Ash or maybe taller. 

He must have sensed my staring because he glared at me, "Well, are you going to wipe the drool off your mouth, or am I going to have to do it for you?" He leaned forward with his hands clasped together behind his back, he brought his arms above his head, cracking his back. While doing so, I could see the muscles in his back pushing and pulling. The mystery boy began walking towards me until we were close enough to the point where I could feel his breath on the top of my head. In one swoop motion, he took the plates from my hand and turned back around, focusing on whatever he was doing before. 

I stood there for a second before scampering out of the kitchen. As I was exiting I heard a soft noise, almost similar to a tea kettle when the water finished boiling. 

Weird.

The door was locked when I made it back to our cell. I had to knock on the door until Ash finally got out of bed.

"Welcome back," He said, leaning against the doorframe. I pushed past him, "How did the door even get locked?" I say, over my shoulder. Behind me, I could hear keys jingling around. Confused, I turned to face the sound. 

Ash was holding a pair of keys, the same ones from this morning. "You locked me out?" His face was priceless, "What? No," Ash laughed, "A guard came around to the cells and locked them. If anything I was doing the opposite." 

"Oh, " My face grows slightly redder from embarrassment. He hummed and locked the door again. 

The paper he was working on earlier was still sitting atop the desk, except it was filled with neat handwriting. The beginning of the paper to the bottom was covered in words, too small for me to read from this distance. 

"Are you going to sleep in your own bed, or do you need me?" Ash's voice said behind my head, much closer than I thought he was going to be. 

I flinch, "My bed? We're not doing anything else like that." Momentarily, his face shows disappointment until his guard comes back up. A stone, cold face. 

"Suit yourself." He walks to his bed, blowing the candle out on his way there. I keep my candle lit. I was going to figure out what was on the letter if it was the last thing I did. I stepped quietly to my bed.

"Can you blow out your candle?" Ash groaned, shoving his face into the pillow. "I'm scared of the dark, " I lie while dragging the blanket over me. "Can you at least put it onto the desk or something, further from me?"

"Sure," I hop out of bed and make my way to the candle. It shines on the tiny shelf next to the door. I grab the hook on the small silver plate and move it onto the desk. I could hear Ash rolling around in his bed. "Thank you."

After moving the candle to the desk, the room was remarkably darker. At the same time, it was also much creepier. I felt my way to my bed and crawled back under the covers. 

I laid awake, waiting for Ash's fast, shallow breaths to become deep, calm ones. I wasn't sure how long I needed to wait. Earlier, he fell asleep fairly quickly, but now he stayed awake. I turned to face his bed. 

I had to suppress myself from acting surprised, he was staring at me. My heart-rate jumps.

He does a little smile and raises one of his eyebrows.

"What?" He remains silent, "Why are you still awake?" 

Ash shrugs, "I think you know." I don't know what made him arrive at that conclusion. Unless he knew what I was trying to do. "No?" I paused trying to think, "I don't?"

He rolled his eyes and patted the mattress. "It's lonely over here, " 

Then it clicked, he wanted me to fall asleep with him. 

"No, that's weird," I grumbled, rolling over towards the wall. I heard sheets rustled behind me, I didn't think anything of it, he was probably getting comfortable. 

Suddenly, I felt arms around me, and the next thing I knew I was being carried. 

"Wha-" I start, but Ash chucks me onto his bed. On the way, he blew out the candle, leaving us in the pitch dark."What the hell is wrong with you?" I start to get out of his bed, but Ash prevents me from moving by pushing me down. On top of the force, he was already pushing, he also laid on top of me.

"Goodnight, " he sighed, snuggling into the crook of my neck. My first reaction was to tense up in his hold, but eventually, I relaxed. I could feel every breath he let out. It was therapeutic in a way, a distraction from everything that happened in the past few days. Ash slightly slid off of me, leaving his head on my chest, similar to the position we were in earlier. 

I slowly snaked my hand up his back, then his shoulder, and finally his head. I felt him shiver as my hand ran up his body. My fingers found themselves in his messy hair, fidgeting with the strands. Every so often, I would find a knot, I gently pulled each one through. I felt Ash melt into my side.

As I continued to comb through his locks, I knew he was asleep. His breaths were soft and quiet. 

I had no clue why we slept so much. This would have been the third time I went to sleep, his would be the second time. 

I stopped threading my fingers in his hair and began softly scratching his head. Reading the paper was a lost cause now, it would be too difficult to move without waking him up. Also, I would need to re-light the candle.

After an hour of aimless thoughts, I was finally beginning to become drowsy. My eyes had adjusted to the room, but I could barely keep them open. Ash remained on my chest slept peacefully, without a care in the world. I am quite jealous of how heavily he sleeps. As a light-sleeper, making it through the night without awakening once was a luxury.

After laying in one position for some time, my neck was beginning to ache. I rolled slowly, letting Ash's head fall gently onto the mattress. 

Ash grumbled in his sleep and swept me up into his arms, his head under my chin. For how tall this man is, he's very cuddly. 

I open my eyes one last time to scan the room. Pitch dark, as I thought, the only thing I could see was the small hallway candles they put up for the nighttime. 

Defeated, I shut my eyes for the final time and relaxed into Ash.   
—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————  
𝟸𝟶𝟹𝟹

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello Everyone! 100 Reads!?! That's insane! I just wanted to say thank you to the people who have stayed to read this far. Love you guys!
> 
> Stay safe and hydrated!


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